OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Remarks Regarding Veterans Day

By: Al Green
By: Al Green
Date: Nov. 10, 2005
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Veterans


REMARKS REGARDING VETERANS DAY -- (Extensions of Remarks - November 10, 2005)

SPEECH OF
HON. AL GREEN
OF TEXAS
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2005

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, it is because of the great sacrifices of the men and women in our armed forces that we are able to live in freedom. We are committed and indebted to America's veterans who have risked their lives to protect liberty and defend freedom both here in the United States and abroad. Today, I take the opportunity to recognize the sacrifices our veterans have made serving our country and I extend to them my deep felt admiration.

On this Veterans Day, we must not just recognize the war heroes among us with our words, rather we must recognize them with our deeds. Members of our armed forces serve our Nation with distinction and we must honor them with more than just our gratitude. We must honor them by providing them with the most basic benefits, access to health care, education, job training, and full receipt of the disability compensation to which they are entitled. Tragically, we are failing our Nation's veterans.

It is our duty to provide men and women returning from service with the resources to seamlessly resume their lives as civilians. This means providing them with exceptional educational opportunities, job training and health care.

We must abolish the Disabled Veterans Tax, a tax that forces disabled military retirees to give up one dollar of their pension for every dollar of disability pay they receive. Abolishing this tax is critical to the nearly 400,000 military retirees who continue to pay it. We should work together in the U.S. House of Representatives to increase the benefits veterans receive and to make them mandatory.

Our soldiers and veterans have made the ultimate sacrifice by placing themselves in harm's way to protect democracy in our country and around the world. I am grateful to these brave men and women for the sacrifices they have made, the patriotism they have demonstrated, and the courage and love they have displayed for our country. Let us all take a moment to reflect and to thank our Nation's soldiers who have served and those who are still serving to protect liberty and justice for us all.

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